EkoNiva and Kuzbass State Agricultural University have been cooperating closely and effectively since 2019. The institution’s college focuses on creating highly skilled professionals for the farming sector. The curriculum goes beyond theoretical knowledge providing students with hands-on experience essential for a successful career in the industry.

The agricultural college trainees have been doing internships at EkoNiva for several years now, specialising in herd management, agronomy and accounting. From January to September 2025 alone, over 70 students practiced and improved their professional skills at the Group’s enterprises shaping a clearer idea about their future jobs. This year, Kuzbass State Agricultural University (KSAU) and EkoNiva have launched a branded lecture room.

The cooperation between the university and the company results in training top specialists capable of tackling burning issues in agriculture. The college graduates represent the future and the backbone of the sector and make a tangible contribution to its development.

‘We are honoured to partner with EkoNiva – it is, in fact, a significant step forward for us. The company has been taking an active part in the educational process at our agricultural college. Its experts hold workshops to analyse real-life cases – a unique experience for our region. The key component of this collaboration is the high-rate internship programme for our students, which often ends up with their employment. They are welcomed by mentors and receive comprehensive support: from a competitive salary and housing to an additional scholarship. They are excited at such attractive prospects’, points out Natalya Bulgakova, Head of Competency Assessment and Career Planning Centre at KSAU. ‘In our turn, we provide venues for events and facilitate recruitment through our Career Centre. Ultimately, both the university and the company benefit from the cooperation.’

Many KSAU students and graduates describe the internship at EkoNiva’s enterprises as a quantum leap in their professional development and career choice.

‘It was here at EkoNiva, thanks to their professional and thoughtful approach to interns, that I firmly decided to become a cow veterinarian. Such a definite career direction is what I largely owe to the company’, notes Olga Naymushina, a second-year student of KSAU Veterinary Department. ‘EkoNiva gave me a flying start in career. I keep learning new things and always feel the support of my mentors and other company specialists. They are ready to help, share their expertise and give valuable advice.’

‘For us, the partnership with the agricultural college of KSAU is a strategic investment in the talent pool of not just our company but of the entire Siberian region. Over six years of our cooperation, we have evolved from hosting one-off internships to implementing an integrated approach. We have opened a branded lecture room and organised dozens of internships’, says Natalya Zvereva, Head of Personnel Development and Training at EkoNiva Group. ‘Today’s college graduates are qualified specialists who, from day one, show efficiency in their key roles as agronomists, herd managers and mechanics at our Siberian enterprises. These are the employees that are the pillars of the region’s economy. Our cooperation is a telling example of how business and education can work together to build a secure future for Russia’s agricultural sector.’